True to form, I didn't realize that this was the second in a series, but you don't need to read the first book to get into this one. Jess is a true crime podcaster turned independent tv reporter after the success of solving a cold case. Jess finds herself intrigued by a story of a black man accused of being a sniper and killing 5 people in the "Back Back," a poor Black neighborhood. The story and timelines don't add up and she wants to pursue the story, but her video career is being financed by the backers of her show and they pull her off of it to run a story/ investigation into the murder of a bootlegger. As she unravels that story, she realizes that the stories are related and covertly goes back to the sniper story to find the truth.

Told in two POV of Jess in present time and Hal, a reporter in the 1980s, who was one of the last people to see the bootlegger alive. Hal strives to find out the truth before he gets arrested for the grisly murder. This story starts out twisty and just gets more intwined between the two stories. I enjoyed the police procedural/ true crime thriller. Jess is a well-developed character and I liked how she strives to find out the truth.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eARC. Blood Red Summer is out now.

All of Eryk Pruitt's books have been fascinating southern noir thrillers that are captivating. This one is no different. Full of intriguing, mystery, and is a nonstop, brilliant read.

I found this one to be significantly better than the first in the series, with more cohesive storytelling and an excellent emphasis on the characters. This second in the series makes me want to continue reading Jess Keeler stories.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I had a bit too much going on.

I enjoyed the author's first book, and this one is even better - the flow is smoother and the characters were more fully developed. The protagonist, who was a novice podcaster in the first book, is now fully immersed in the big business of true crime reporting and investigations. This means strictures and demands for sensationalism that sells, while the protagonist is oriented toward using the means at her disposal to seek justice in a cold case. The story is told in two timelines, the present day and the time of the cold case and is a gripping read as not much seems to have changed with police corruption and racial stereotyping and profiling - sadly, this reads true to life.

I had read the first book in the series and enjoyed it enough to read Book 2. I had some issues with the book. Unfortunately, I felt that the main mystery was overly-complicated. I understand that the point was that a number of seemingly unconnected events were all part of the same mystery, but the way the puzzle pieces fit together just didn't work for me. There's still one part that isn't sitting right with me the morning after finishing. I also had some issues with the way a few characters were written. The main character's son was supposedly a couple years out of high school (so around 20?) but was written and treated like a 12 year-old. The reporter sounded like he was living in a 1940s Bogart movie, but was living in 1984. So that kind of took me out of the story. And the inevitable betrayal by one character, while telegraphed, seemed to lack motivation. You knew it was coming, but were left asking why it happened. All in all, didn't love it, didn't hate it. Probably won't bother if there are others in the series.

I didn’t love this book. I didn’t hate it either.
The dialogue was not the best but the story was thrilling and twisty. I think for those who love the whole police procedure/journalist vibes in a thriller, this will be a winner. I don’t always get into those. The POVs on different eras was really fun and I did enjoy the characters. 3.5⭐️

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. The storyline was incredible! The story is told in multiple POVs/ timelines and was very well crafted. The characters were well developed and relatable. I have not read book one but will definitely be reading it right away. Looking forward to more from this author!! Highly recommend

I really enjoyed the first one in this series so it felt like a treat to get a book 2. I just love Jess and her want to find the truth and get the story right. And, while this series has books that stand well on their own, this one would have spoilers for book 1 if you hadn't already read it.

We find Jess in a very different spot here than we did in book 1. In book 1, she was chasing the story she chose and framing each episode of her podcast how she wanted. Sure, she had a partner she had to work with but they worked together well to frame it and it worked.

This one finds Jess in a different spot. She's joined a backer/financer company and they are calling the shots. When the story she wants to chase is pushed aside because it's not juicy enough (and no one will talk to her about it), she's forced to move on a find another lead.

I absolutely loved this one. It's two POV - Jess in the now and Hal in the early 1980's. Hal is also a reporter and he's also chasing down leads. Their two dual POV really gave us the full story with each shocking twist and turn. I was completely sucked in, just like book 1, and I had no idea where the turns would go. Addictive and compelling, I loved the audiobook narrators and the compelling storyline. I highly recommend it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

A podcaster wanting to move to videocasting when a sister comes to her saying her brother has been sitting in prison for 40 years for something she is sure he didn't do. She encounters resistance from her friend, a former police officer, and others but she won't be stopped. This was an interesting story. I enjoyed the characters and the way the case evolved.

Blood Red Summer is the first book that I've read by Mr. Pruitt and I'm so happy I donwloaded it! The story is told from several points of view, sometimes they are complimentary in others they are antagonistic. Jess is the portrait of nowadays true crime blogger and she will learn that sometimes truth is not the better option to divulge and that being a producer might not be what she's best suited for depending on who she is partnering with. I loved Hal's character, he is an investigative journalist that although being a bit sensationalist is a relentless pursuer of truth and justice and he'll pay dearly for these traits. This book has a great and relatable storyline, it's well-written and engaging, and I highly recommend it!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved Something Bad Wrong, the previous Jess Keeler novel. In the previous novel she is a podcaster solving a very old cold case (and the book is based on a real-life murder mystery).

Here we find Jess Keeler procuring funding for a televised series and finds a case that is odd with many twists and turns. Unfortunately, the backers of the podcast want to dramatize the story with falsehoods and exaggerations, which Keeler battles off, for the most part, the best she can.

Keeler originally wanted to do the podcast on an unsolved series of murders by a sniper in the "Back Back" an impoverished black community and she aims to free a convicted suspect that she believes is innocent. That idea gets shut down by the money men (both backers are German men). Instead, she pivots to the brutal murder of a bootlegger and his friends which remains unsolved. As the story unravels, she starts to realize that the two cases are interrelated and starts to switch back, surreptitiously, to the snipper story. With consequences.

The story moves back and forth from the present to the past when the actual murders take place with an older, grizzled, and somewhat unconventional reporter, Hal Broadstreet, is also investigating the murders of the bootlegger and starts tying them to the sniper case. It just so happens he was drinking and playing cards with the bootlegger and his friends right before the murders happened. I found his storyline to be much more interesting than present day storyline.

As the story unfolds we see racism, police corruption, and murderous plots by law enforcement way up the food chain. And the ending of the book in present day is chilling.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and essentially read it in one sitting. The only drawbacks is I found the overall web and "conspiracy" to be a bit unbelievable and Keeler not as together and focused as she was in the previous novel. Some of the plot devices to bring the story full-circle felt a little contrived, and the present day shenanigans of side characters associated with the "documentary" and Keeler seem a bit cliché. But I still the novel a great deal and would recommend it.

Has podcaster Jess Keeler sold out? Following the success of her podcast debut "Something Bad Wrong" (also the title of the first book in the series), Jess signs on as producer of a true crime documentary complete with film crew and an intern who care more about the "sizzle" that will sell the story to a distributor than in revealing the truth. Although Jess would prefer to work alone, she has personal reasons for needing the financial security that comes with the new job. When she and the crew decide they want to cover the long-forgotten story of the Lake Castor sniper, who killed 5 and injured a 6th victim in 1984, Jess gets unexpected push back from the retired sheriff she worked with on her first podcast. When a new unsolved case from the same period is dangled in front of the team with the promise of cooperation from the current sheriff, who worked the case, they shift their focus, Jess being more reluctant than the rest of them. The new case involves the slaughter of 3 bootleggers, and flashbacks told from the perspective of a local journalist suggest the involvement of a local motorcycle club. I didn't like that Jess seemed to be "phoning it in" for much of the book, as her dedication and meticulous research were a large part of what made the first book great, but her attitude underlines the disillusionment she starts to feel with the company she is working for and other members of her team. There is lots of action, however, and the different story lines, points of view, and timelines mesh nicely by the end.

Mostly excellent Southern Noir mystery.

4.5 stars rounded up.

This is the second stand-alone book in the Jess Keeler series; the first one is "Something Bad Wrong" (2023). I didn't have the chance to read the first installment and managed fine without it.

In "Blood Red Summer", true crime-podcaster Jess Keeler, fresh off the success of her previous podcast "Something Bad Wrong", is trying to find a new case to investigate, only this time, she is bringing along an entire documentary crew. When she is approached about the case of a sniper targeting the local Black community of Lake Castor in 1984, her interest is piqued. But what she discovers once she digs into the story is far more than the guilt or innocence of the man convicted of the murders.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book overall and would definitely recommend it, I must admit that the present-day timeline of Jess and her investigation was the weakest link in this story for me. Sure, the true crime-podcaster solving crimes storyline is starting to feel unoriginal at this point, and it seemed unlikely that, following a single successful previous podcast season, Jess would now be the producer of an entire big-pocket documentary (in fact, the whole documentary angle and Jess basically selling herself out felt very unnecessary). But what actually bothered me is that Jess is portrayed at being just not very good at her job. She does not actually contribute a whole lot to the investigation until the end and is mostly very ill-prepared and unprofessional. Not sure if this was the case in the first book as well, since she is supposed to be this true crime genius who even acquires a "protégée" (whom she never mentors - Jess mentions showing her how to use the microfiche machines at the library, but that's about it, and the protégée in question previously gave a presentation of her researched that already had her using those tools, so I can't see what she possibly could have learned from Jess).

Nevertheless, if you can tolerate the often unsatisfying present-day storyline, this is an excellent, atmospheric, complex Southern Noir mystery. The events of Lake Castor's "Blood Red Summer" of 1984 are told from multiple points of view of people investigating or affected by the events at the time, all well-written and believable, and are unpeeled layer by layer, detailing racism, gang activity, and corrupt police, all accumulating into a breathtaking conclusion that's brilliant because it's messy, unresolved, and feels very plausible and true to life.

Though Jess herself seems to close the door on another book in the series in the end, I would definitely read more sequels and just hope by then Jess is back to what I assume to be her true form.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Blood Red Summer" is slated to be published on May 14, 2024.

Jess isn't convinced that Rickie Lee Patience was the sniper who terrorized his small town and killed five people and so she sets off to find the truth. Pod casters are a thing in this genre these days and Jess is a likable one. She's also pretty determined, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Good atmospherics and a just twisty enough tale made this a good read.

Blood Red Summer by Eryk Pruitt is a very highly recommended investigational Southern noir thriller following a true crime podcaster.

After her successful debut podcast, Something Bad Wrong (also the title of the first book in the series) Jess Keeler has been asked to join a documentary crew as the producer for a true crime TV show. When a stranger approaches her in Lake Castor, Virginia, with an idea for an investigation, she's intrigued, but the real question is if the idea will interest the investors enough to actually finance the search, with an eye on ratings.

The case is about the Lake Castor sniper who struck in 1984. The sniper terrorized the back back, a historically Black part of the old mill town, and claimed five lives. The suspect arrested and charged, Ricky Lee Patience, may not have been the actual perpetrator. There was no real look into the first four murders, but the fifth person shot, journalist Hal Broadstreet, did capture the attention of the police and community. But did they get the right man? As the investigation continues, two retired sheriffs suggest that Jess should investigate the unsolved murders from that same summer in the apartment of bootlegger Jim Fosskey and two other men.

The narrative is very compelling and will hold your attention to the end. The story unfolds between the present day point-of-view of Jess and that of Hal Broadstreet in 1984. Both are looking to solve the crimes but Hal has some insight Jess doesn't. This makes the narrative in both time periods very satisfying and equally interesting. There is a third voice that adds depth and complications to both timelines.

The writing is excellent and presents the complicated plot with what feels like ease as you are reading. The action propels the plot forward in both time periods. The suspects and characters to look into are numerous. Each new revelation and detail expands the investigation into different areas, including corruption and racism, and the twists abound. Even though it is about a podcaster, which admittedly is becoming a bit tiresome, this one is worth your time.

Blood Red Summer is going to hold your rapt attention from beginning to end. This one can stand on it's own, but the first Jess Keeler novel, Something Bad Wrong, is worth your time too. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Sequel to Something Bad Wrong. After some fame due to her podcast, Jess teams up with a production crew for a documentary. She's approached to look into a set of shootings that occurred years earlier. The family of the man arrested for the crime believes he is innocent. This was okay but I liked the first book better. 3 stars.

Jess Keeler had success with her first podcast about a cold crime in her hometown of Lake Castor. However, success has led from podcasts to true-crime documentaries complete with a crew who don't necessarily share her viewpoint or reasons for investigating cold cases.

When she meets a man in a bar with a story about his uncle who he feels was wrongly accused of being the sniper who killed five people and wounded a sixth in an event that happened in 1984, Jess agrees to interview his mother and becomes interested in the case.

Since all but one of the victims was Black, there was little to learn about the crime and the police seemed to just push it aside. The only one who really seemed to look into it was Hal Broadstreet -- the only reporter left on a failing newspaper that is turning into a tabloid complete with stories of alien abductions. It happens that he was the final victim of the killer known as the Lake Castor Sniper.

The story is told in two time periods. In the present, Jess Keeler is looking to make a documentary about the Lake Castor Sniper and being pressured by the money men funding the production and the local police to look into the unsolved murder of a local bootlegger that happened at the same time.

The second time period is told by Hal Broadstreet who is looking into both crimes. He had been with the bootlegger earlier in the evening on the day someone broke it and brutally murdered him and two other men who were at the apartment. His focus is on solving that crime and wondering at police indifference when it turns out that the main suspects were members of a motorcycle gang. It is only when another of his friends who was at the murder site was killed by a sniper that Hal learns about the random killings in the Back Back - the Black part of town.

This was an interesting story that was packed with action. I could feel Jess's frustration with her new job which she felt pulled her away from her goal of finding out the truth and put the focus on making an exciting documentary even if it ends up not being a truthful one.

This is the second book in a series.

I received an advance copy of this book for NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. This is the 2nd installment in the Jess Keeler series but I did not read book 1. I think there is a bit of background knowledge gap for me in this regard but I still enjoyed this book. Jess is a podcaster who has a shot at making her storytelling to the TV screens. While on the hunt for a new crime story to dive into with her audience, she stumbles upon a long buried crime that happened there in her own town that she never knew about. As she navigates the truth, lies and the in between, Jess finds that things are not as they appear. Details of the story start to unwind years of secrets and connections to other crimes that same fateful summer.

Blood Red Summer is the follow-up to Eryk Pruitt’s first novel in the Jess Keeler series, Something Bad Wrong, featuring journalist/podcaster Keeler and her investigation into unsolved crime cases. Specific aspects of the plotlines will be purposely vague to avoid spoilers and to allow plot points to be revealed as the novel is read.

In Blood Red Summer, Keeler is still investigating unsolved murders, but this time, her next venture will include a small filming and researching crew for a documentary rather than a Podcast. The novel includes previously introduced characters, with writing and storytelling that surpasses the original novel in both flow and plot.

The novel picks up a short time after the conclusion of the first novel as the reader learns Keeler’s first podcast has become very popular and has led her to search for her next unsolved true-crime case. Keeler’s smal crew is being funded by two Germans. If she and her crew can find a suitable event, then the Germans will fund the entire documentary and promotion of the finished film.

After stopping in at a favored watering hole, Keeler is approached by a man who persuades her to look into a serial sniper case from the 1980s where his nephew confessed to killing numerous people, including a perceived gadfly reporter for a local tabloid newspaper.

The shootings occurred in 1984 in a Lake Castor, VA Black section of town known as the Back Back and ended with the confession of a Black man named Rickie Lee Patience. For his confession, Patience was sentenced to life in prison.

The more Jess investigates, the more skeptical she becomes regarding the confession. While gathering new information, she and her crew receive more and more resistance from almost all those present during this era. These people range from authorities, citizens, and witnesses and even include her close friend, retired sheriff Ennis Worthy. Worthy, like others, keeps urging it is best for everyone to just let the past lie. All of which only makes her resolve to get to the truth even firmer.

The novel then continues while Jess continues to struggle to unravel the truth from a time most just want to forget under declarations it is best for all involved.

Like so many other crime or mystery novels, to avoid spoilers often the less known one knows about plots, the better, and Blood Red Summer is one of those novels and other readers are encouraged to avoid the more detailed reviews.

Pruitt’s plot lines are complex, fluid, and with unsuspecting twists along the way. His characters are believably well-defined, with the flow of his writing remarkably fluid and flawless.

Blood Red Summer his highly recommended to crime genre readers and especially those fond of rural or country noir.

Netgalley provided an ARC for the return of a fair review and is available for purchase.

I will preface that i had not read book #1 of the Keeler series, but i felt like I was able to follow along well enough. I really enjoyed this thriller! I enjoyed the reading topic of racial profiling and unjust police force as it just so prevalent in today's society. This still happens to this day. I would recommend this book.